


Watching The Flashbacks

by EmileGalaxy



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: A.R.G.U.S., Characters watching Arrow, Hong Kong, Lian Yu, Russia, Starling City, Watching the Show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 14:46:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15753852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmileGalaxy/pseuds/EmileGalaxy
Summary: I always read fanfictions that are the characters watching the show but I thought how about they watch it in order, chronologically. That means flashbacks first. Enjoy.





	1. Chapter 1

All of a sudden a bright light flashes in front of their eyes. Everybody groans as they sit up. 

"What the hell! Where are we!" Yells Det. Lance in anger. He looks around and sees everyone else.

"Who did this?" Asks Moira, scared.

"I don't know," says Malcom, eyeing his surroundings, "we appear to be in a loungeroom."

The television in front of them suddenly turns on and a voice message is played.

"Hello to you all. You are all here to watch the story of someone you all know. He will be found a few days from now, I do hope you can get comfortable." 

With that the television turns off again. 

"Well, you heard the lady. Let's get comfortable!" Exclaims Tommy, jumping onto the nearest couch. Laurel and Thea take a seat by him. Moira, Lance and Malcom take the other couch, each steadily watching their children. 

"Who are we watching?" Asks Thea.

The television chooses this moment to turn on.

"I guess, now we find out," Laurel says as images begin to play.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update, it has been a stressful couple of months with exams and illness. but its here now, what do you think?

"Shush!" Hushes Thea as the screen begins to show the beginning of the first scene.

 

_A man runs through the bushes as if he were running from someone. He swings off a tree, lands and continues to run at full speed. The figure gets to a slope of rocks and begins to climb. When the man reaches the top he stops and reveals a ragged face under a green hood._

 

"Oliver," whispers Moira in disbelief. Everyone realises who the figure is and their faces slowly morph into shock.

"But how?" Asks Thea.

"Clearly he didn't go down with my daughter," Lance says snidely.

 

_The camera pans to a boat in the distance. The figure continues to run along the cliff side. He runs down the hill and jams his knife into a rock. He lights an arrow on fire and fires the arrow into a bonfire on the beach._

 

"Wow, that was awesome!" Says Tommy enthusiastically as Laurel roles her eyes.

'But who taught you?' Malcolm thinks, eying the man in screen.

 

_The bonfires explodes which catches the eye of the fishermen on the boat who see it._

_“The name of the island they found me on was Lian Yu, it's mandarin for purgatory.”_ _The fishermen reach the shore and the camera pans past a mask with an arrow in it like a warning sign._

 

Everyone looks questioningly at the mask as the scene continues.

 

_“I've been stranded here for 5 years. I've dreamt of my rescue every cold black night since then. For 5 years I've had only one though, one goal.” The man drops to his knees and removes the hood revealing Oliver Queen._

 

"Oh my baby boy," Moira gasps, now fully seeing the state her son was in.

"Mom, he's coming home!" Thea squeals in glee. Laurel and Lance look off to the side, Sara's death still painful for them.

 

_“Survive and one day return home.” Oliver is now on the boat in a blanket with the fishermen._

 

"I was so close," Tommy whispers to himself, the light of his phone illuminating his face. Laurel, however, hears him.

"What do you mean you were close?" She asks as everyone turns to look at the pair.

"The island he was on, Lian Yu? Well I googled it with my phone, yeah we still have those by the way, and it is off the coast of China. I never stopped looking for him and I ended up in Hong Kong. I got so close to him," Tommy says with his head down.

"Nobody could have found him, Tommy," Thea says comfortingly.

 

_“The island had many dangers to live had to make myself more than what I was. To forge myself into a weapon. I am returning, not the boy who was shipwrecked but the man who will bring justice to those who have poisoned my city.”_

 

'A weapon? Poisoned the city? What does he know?' Thinks Malcolm, suspicious.

 

_The camera slowly pans away from the island._

_“My name is Oliver Queen.”_

 

-

 

_The scene shows a boat as it sails through a storm._

_*5 years earlier*_

_Robert Queen turns around as crew member comes inside, wet._

 

"Robert," Moira says sadly while everyone prepares themselves for the inevitable.

 

_“Storm’s a category 2. Captain’s recommending we head back,” The crew member says._

_“All right,” Robert replies as Oliver comes out of a room, “Inform the crew.” The crewman heads away to inform the rest of the crew._

_“Are we in trouble?” Oliver asks._

_“One of us is,” Robert says as a blonde girl wearing lingerie and a gown exits same room Oliver exited._

 

"My baby girl, why?" Lance asks to himself as Laurel looks over to him, searching for some comfort.

 

_“Ollie, where do you keep the bottle opener on this thing?” She says, leaning against the doorway._

_“Oh I'll be there is a minute Sara,” Oliver says dismissively and the girl heads back into the room._

_“You know son, that is not going to finish well. For either of them or for you,” Robert says._

 

"So wise, Robert," Malcolm says, still having respect for his late friend, as Moira nods.

-

 

_Sara is sitting on the bed as Oliver pours wine._

_“It's getting closer,” Sara says, worried about the storm._

_“That's not very scientific,” Oliver says, turning around._

_“What would you know about science Mr Ivy League dropout?” Sara teases as Oliver sits on the bed._

_“I happen to know a lot about science. I know about fermentation, I know biology,” He says before they kiss._

 

"Oh I don't want to see this!" Exclaim Thea and Lance at the same time as Laurel lowers her eyes.

 

_“Laurel’s gonna kill me. Oh she's so going to kill me,” sara says as she puts her wine down._

 

"You never gave me the chance," Laurel whispers as Tommy puts an arm around her in comfort.

 

_“Your sister will never know. Come here,” Oliver says, pushing Sara back onto the bed as she laughs. All of a sudden, lightning strikes and the pair hear the loud thunder._

_“Ok that one was really close,” Sara says, scared._

_“Sara, we’re going to be fine,” Oliver says, unfazed by the storm and they go back to kissing. Suddenly the boat creaks and tips. Sara screams as they both fall forward._

 

Sara's screams were drowned out by Lance's as he shrieks in terror. Thea and Moira sit with wide eyes looking at the screen, still afraid for Oliver even though they know he survives.

 

_Oliver slowly gets up._

_“Sara?” He asks, dazed. The water comes up and claims Sara as she screams._

_“Sara!” Oliver screams before he is also pulled under and emerges at the surface in the rain. Swimming to stay afloat Oliver looks around in search of Sara._

_“Sara!” Oliver yells as the camera pans to a lifeboat._

_“Oliver!” Robert shouts, trying to get Oliver’s attention._

 

"Robert/Dad?" Everyone exclaims, confused at seeing the man alive. They all assumed he had died with the ship.

 

_“Sara!” Oliver shouts again._

_“Oliver!” Robert shouts as Oliver swims to the lifeboat and climbs aboard._

_“No, no!” Oliver says as he scrambles to the edge, “Dad she's out there!”_

 

"He tried to look for her," Laurel mentions quietly.

"Yeah, well she wouldn't have died in the first place if he hadn't brought her in that boat!" Lance yells, still caught up in the emotion of the ship sinking. Everyone glares at him in some way and they continue.

 

_“She's not there,” Robert says in resignation._

_“Sara!” Oliver screams as the camera pans to the sinking boat._

_“She's gone,” Robert says again._

 

-

 

_The crewman sets up light and the lifeboat. Robert hands Oliver a bottle._

_“Here son, drink,” he says before Oliver drinks the water._

_“What the hell are you doing! That's all we've got!” The crewman shouts._

_“If anybody's making it out of here it's gonna be him. So sorry, I thought I'd have more time. I'm not the man you think I am,” Robert says. Oliver looks up, confused._

 

As does everyone in the lounge room.

 

_“I didn't build our city, I failed it. And I wasn't the only one.”_

 

'Oh no,' Malcolm thinks as he and Moira lock eyes.

"Failed the city? Mom, what does he mean?" Thea asks in a mix of scared and worried emotions. Moira quickly spreads a fake smile on her face as she responds.

"I don't know, honey."

 

-

 

_The storm’s over and the lifeboat is floating along. The crewman and Oliver are asleep._

_“There's not enough for all of us,” Robert whispers to Oliver._

_“Save your strength,” Oliver says drearily, closing his eyes._

_“You can survive this, make it home, make it better, right my wrongs. But you gotta live through this first,” Robert says as Oliver falls asleep again. Robert shakes Oliver awake._

_“You hear me Ollie? You hear me son?” Says before he kisses Oliver on the head. Robert then pulls out a gun and shoots the crewman._

 

The sudden loud noise causes everyone but Malcolm to jump. Everyone quickly shows looks of horror and disbelief at the action Robert just took.

 

_This causes Oliver to jump awake._

_“Dad?” Oliver questions, scared._

_“Survive,” Robert says before turning the gun to his head and shooting himself._

_“No!” Oliver screams with wide eyes._

 

"No!" Thea screams as everyone looks shocked.

"Oh Ollie," Tommy says, feeling sorry for his friend and what he went through.

 

-

_Oliver weakly pulls himself up on the side of the lifeboat._

_“I almost died, I thought that I had because I spent so many days on that life raft,” He says as an island comes into view, “before I saw the island.”_

 

-

 

_Oliver drags himself from the water._

_“When I reached it I knew, I knew that I was going to have to live for both of us.”_

 

_-_

 

_Oliver wakes up to the noise of seagulls._

_“Hey! Hey, get away!” Screams Oliver when he sees the seagulls flocked around the lifeboat. He races out of his makeshift home to chase them off._

_“Hey!” He shouts as the camera shows Robert’s body with a life jacket covering his head._

_“Dad,” Oliver says in despair as he collapses by it and holds Robert’s hand. Before long, Oliver throws up._

 

As Oliver throws up, Thea looks green.

"Poor Oliver, I can't believe he had to go through that," exclaimed Tommy. Laurel nodded her head in agreement while Moira looks at the floor. Malcolm and Lance wisely chose not to say anything.

 

_“Hey, hey get away from him!” Oliver shouts as he scrambles back to body. He starts crying over it. After some contemplating, Oliver lifts up the body and walks away with it._

 

"What is he doing?" Asks Moira to herself.

 

-

 

_Oliver places the body on top of some rocks. While doing this, he notices a pocket and finds a book inside it. Oliver flips through the blank pages, finding a patterned symbol on the inside of the front cover._

 

"Moira, what is that?" Lance asks, suspicious of her reaction. She quickly schooled her features.

"No, no idea," she says steadily, forcing emotion out of her voice as she quickly takes a glance a Malcolm, who was staring at her intensely.

 

-

 

_Oliver is heaving the final stones into place on top of Robert’s body when he is shot by an arrow._

 

Thea and Laurel screamed while everyone looked worried. No matter their opinion of Oliver, nobody in the room wanted harm to come to him.

 

_Screaming, he looks at the arrow before turning around to see a man in a hood standing in the distance. He then passes out on rocks._

 

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the screen.

"He wasn't alone," Moira whispers in realisation.

 

-

 

_Waking up in a cave, Oliver notices that the arrow is still in him. At that moment, the man who shot him enters the cave._

_“Who are you?” Oliver asks before the man pulls down his hood revealing a worn, Chinese face._

 

Everyone except Lance not-so-subtlety glare at the man.

 

_“Why did you shoot me?” Oliver asks._

_“ **To protect you** ,” The man replies as he holds out some herbs and water and motions for Oliver to drink._

 

"Does anyone speak Chinese?" Asks Laurel, curious as to the man's intentions. Everyone shakes their head until Malcolm speaks up.

"He said, to protect you," he says.

"How is shooting Ollie protecting him!" Thea exclaims, outraged.

 

_“ **Drink** ,” The man says. Oliver takes the herbs and drinks them with the water._

 

Everyone turns to looks at Malcolm who sighs.

"He said drink," he says.

"Dad, can you translate for us for the rest of the time?" Tommy asks.

"Sure," he replies.

 

_The man then removes the arrow as Oliver screams in pain._

 

Everyone grips their seats at the sight of the man in pain.

 

-

 

_Oliver wakes up in the cave again only to notice that the man is asleep. Oliver uses all his strength to get up and run out of the cave._

 

"Oh Oliver, don't run," Moira sighs. Thea looks at her confused.

"But that man shot him, Mom!" She exclaims in bewilderment.

"But he helped Oliver as well," Malcolm interjects.

"I guess," Thea trails off.

 

_He runs through forest before tripping, getting up and running again. However, this is short lived as he gets caught in a net trap._

 

Tommy couldn't help but snicker.

"Tommy!" Laurel says, bewildered.

"I'm sorry, it's just the sight of him getting caught in a net like a cartoon is pretty funny," Tommy says, snickering again. Thea and Laurel both role their eyes as Moira smiles at their antics.

 

-

 

_The man finds Oliver in the net trap. Oliver wakes up to the man holding sword against him._

_“ **Fool. This place is too dangerous for any one man to be alone** ,” the man says as he walks away and cuts the rope, sending Oliver falling to the ground._

 

"Fool. This place is too dangerous for any one man to be alone," Malcolm translates.

"Dangerous?" Lance wonders.

 

_“ **They'll kill you,** “ he says, walking away. Oliver scrambles tountangle himself and follows the man._

 

“They’ll kill you,” translates Malcom once more.

“There are other people on the island? Besides the man of course,” asks Thea, uncertain.

“What are they doing there?” Inquires Tommy.

 

-

 

_A group of armed, unknown people find the net that trapped Oliver. They inspect it before moving on._

 

“Look at those guns, clearly nothing good is happening on this island,” says Malcom, leaning closer to the screen to inspect the newcomers.

“My poor baby,” mutters Moira under her breath.

 

-

 

_Oliver is in the cave when he takes a photo of Laurel out of his wallet and stares at it._

 

Everyone stares at the screen before turning their heads to Laurel who couldn’t decide on which emotion she was feeling.

“He has a photo of me in his wallet?” Laurel says, shocked. She had been so mad that Oliver had cheated she had lead herself to believe he had never loved her.

“In his own messed up way, he loved you more than anything. Or loves,” Tommy says, putting an arm around Laurel as Thea nodded solemnly.

 

_The man enters the cave with a caged bird in his hand. He places it next to Oliver._

_“ **Survive** ,” The man says._

 

Everyone tensed up at the sight of the man, unsure what to think of the man who both shot and saved the life of Oliver. They looked to Malcom.

“Survive.”

 

_“What am I supposed to do with that,” Oliver asks._

 

Everyone sans Thea looked at the screen, cringing.

 

_“ **Survive** ,” The man replies again._

 

“I’m assuming I don’t have to say it again?” Malcom states as he looks around the room. They all nod.

 

_“Does that mean bird?” Oliver questions, confused._

 

Tommy chuckles at this causing everyone to look at him.

“Honestly Merlyn,” Lance sighs.

 

_“ **Survive** ,” The man says more forcefully as if trying to convey the meaning of the word through tone._

_“I don't speak Chinese!” Oliver yells, frustrated as the man turns away._

 

This time everyone chuckles.

 

_Oliver begins to look at the photo again._

_“I'm sorry Laurel, I'm sorry,” he says, defeated._

 

This causes a more glum mood to fill the room as everyone once again stares at Laurel who looks down.

 

-

 

_The man is roasting some meat over a fire. Oliver looks up in interest._

_“What is that?” He asks only to have the man ignore him._

_“I’m so hungry,” Oliver says, getting up,” that smell really good.”_

 

“Good god, he must be starving,” whimpers Moira, still overcome with emotion.

“Yeah, we have no idea how long he has been there or how long he was out,” comments Lance.

 

_Oliver reaches for it only for the man to bend his hand to get him away and push him back in one fluid motion._

_“Ok fine, don't share,” Oliver says as the man rolls his eyes._

_“ **Hey** ,” The man says before he points to the bird and motions breaking its neck, “ **survive**.” Oliver looks at bird._

 

Everyone who hadn’t figured it out looks confronted.

“He can’t expect Oliver to kill the bird!” Exclaims Thea.

“He has to if he wants to live through this,” responds Malcom, voice void of any emotion.

 

_“I’m not going to kill the bird,” he says, disgusted._

_“ **Survive** ,” The man says again._

 

-

 

_Oliver stares at bird, contemplating._

_“Hey, please. I'm starving. I've never killed anything before,” he says as a last attempt to stop the inevitable._

 

Moira and Thea feel tears bubbling up inside them at Olivers heartfelt plead.

 

_The man only ignores him. Oliver opens the cage and picks up the bird._

_“I'm sorry,” he whispers as he looks away and breaks the bird’s neck._

 

Thea gasps and looks away, buried in Tommy’s arms. Tommy himself shares a saddened look with Laurel as the Moira has a sing tear fall down her face at the destruction of Olivers innocence. Lance and Malcom school their expressions.

 

-

 

_Oliver is eating the bird by the fire._

_“ **Survive** ,” The man says._

_“Yeah, bird. I know,” Oliver says dismissively._

_“ **Survive** not mean bird. **Survive** mean survive,” The man says in English. Oliver looks up in surprise and annoyance._

 

The use of English cause Tommy to sicker once more, only this time joined by Thea and Laurel.

 

_“You speak English,” He says, annoyed._

_“You won't survive this place. Bird not last thing you kill,” the man says as he holds up Oliver’s photo of Laurel, “forget her. You look at that all day, you will not survive this place.”_

 

-

 

_The camera shows a shot of the island. A rabbit is then shown before it is shot with an arrow. The camera turns to reveal that the man shot the arrow._

 

“Nice skill, this must be who teaches Oliver,” Malcom thinks, his mind wandering back to the first scene they saw, appreciatively as everyone looks impressed.

 

_“Dinner,” He says, pointing._

_“Come on, hey. I got an idea. Why don't you let me shoot that thing and you can go pick up the dead, disgusting animal,” Oliver says in disgust. The man then hands Oliver the bow._

 

“Ha, good luck,” Thea says sarcastically to no one.

 

_“What?,” Oliver asks, confused._

_“Try. Breathe. Everything breathe. Breathe, aim, fire,” The man replies, motioning how to shoot the bow. Oliver takes the bow and an arrow cautiously._

_“Aim that tree,” The man says as the camera shows a tree of in the distance._

 

“This isn’t going to go well,” declares Laurel.

 

_Oliver prepares himself._

_“Breathe,” The man says before Oliver shoots the bow. The arrow goes far wide._

 

“Didn’t think so,” Laurel says. Thea nods in agreement.

_“Huh. **You will die badly** ,” The man says, scoffing._

_“What does that mean?” Oliver asks._

 

Everyone looks to Malcom, they same question on their minds. Before Malcom could answer, the scene continues.

 

_“You will die badly. Get,” The man replies as Oliver unhappily goes to get the arrow. He finds the arrow lodged into a log. All of a sudden, two men jump Oliver and cover his mouth to stop him screaming._

 

Moira screams for her son and Thea looks visibly stressed. Same can be said for the other occupants of the room.

 

_More men appear and drag him through the forest and throw him into a cage in the ground. Oliver grunts and grips the bars._

_“Wait, wait. You can't just leave me here! Don't do this to me. Please!,” Oliver yells desperately only for the men to use a gun to hit Oliver’s hands so he takes them off bar. Oliver screams in pain._

_“Please! I didn't do anything!”_

 

Moira sobs while Thea softly cries.

“Ollie,” Tommy says sadly.

 

-

 

_The men walk Oliver into a camp and into a tent. They throw him against a support. Oliver looks up to see a man in a chair._

 

“He must be who is running the organisation who is on this island,” Lance comments offhandedly. 

 

_“Please, sit. You're making me feel rude,” The man says as Oliver sits._

 

Laurel scoffs.

 

_“I do apologise for me men's treatment if you. They're trained to view strangers as hostile,” The man says, pouring sparkling water, ”I'm Edward Fyres by the way. And you are?” Fyres asks._

_“I'm Oliver Queen. I was shipwrecked here. I don't know for how long. My family has money. Lots of money. You would be- you'd be really well compensated for my rescue,” Oliver responds desperately._

 

“He looks so desperate,” remarks Tommy, uncomfortable.

 

_“Well, I look forward to that. But for the moment let's just talk,” The man chuckles._

_“About what?” Oliver asks._

_“Well for instance,” Fyres says, reaching behind him, grabbing a photo and showing it to Oliver._

 

“That's the man that helped Ollie,” blurts out Thea. Everyone wonders the same thing.

‘Why would this Fyres want to know about him?’

 

_“This gentlemen. Do you know him?” Fyres asks as the camera reveals the man in the photo is the man that had taken care of Oliver._

 

“Just say yes Oliver,” Moira pleads desperately. Everyone looks uncertain, having a pretty good idea of what they’ll do is he says no.

 

_“No,” Oliver says, hesitating._

_“No?” Fyres asks, unbelieving._

_“No. Wh-whose he?” Oliver says again._

 

“God damn it Ollie,” say Tommy frustrated.

“You never were a good lier,” adds Laurel, “makes me wonder how he was able to get away with cheating on me.”

 

_“You're a poor lier,” Fyres says, putting the photo down, “I've been polite. I'll offer you one more chance before my manners leave me.”_

_“Hey, hey. I-I don't know this guy. I thought I was on this island all by myself,” Oliver says, nervously._

_“Do you know what this island is named?” Fyres asks as Oliver shakes his head, “We’re on Lian Yu. Mandarin for purgatory. And I can make it feel like hell.”_

 

“Do you think when we get back we can save Ollie?” Asks Thea hopefully.

“I hope so,” replies Moira. 

 

_Fyres gets up and starts to walk away._

_“I don't know why you're protecting him. You're young, foolish. Perhaps you don't know why either. Think of that while you begging for death,” Fyres says before walking out of the tent, ”He's yours now.” A man in a mask and covered in weapons walks into the tent._

 

Everyone in room tenses up art the sight of the newcomer.

“Well doesn’t he look friendly,” snarks Tommy, nervously.

 

-

 

_Oliver is tied up against the support._

_“Where can I find the man in this picture?” Fyres says, holding up the photo. Because Oliver doesn’t respond, he motions for the man in the mask to continue. The man lifts up Oliver’s shirt and stabs him with a sword._

 

Moira and Thea’s screams are so loud you almost can’t hear Oliver’s. Tommy and Laurel look sick but move to comfort Thea almost instantly. Although not liking the kid, Lance doesn’t wish that hurt on anyone. Malcom has seen too much to be effected by it all.

 

_Oliver screams before the man stabs him again. Oliver screams even louder._

 

-

 

_Oliver hangs limply from the wooden support._

 

All you can hear in the viewing room are the sobs that fill the room almost fully.

 

_“Amazing. You have resolve I didn't credit you for. Or perhaps he truely doesn't know anything. You should put him out if his misery,” Fyres says maliciously as he starts to walk away._

 

‘He is stronger than I gave him credit for. He may end up being useful,’ thinks Malcom impressed.

 

_The man from the cave rushes into the tent and tackles Fyres to the ground. He shoots Oliver’s binds with an arrow resulting in Oliver collapsing to the ground._

 

Seeing the man come in fills the room with a new found hope. Smiles can be seen across the faces of everyone.

 

_The man shoots at the man in the mask but he catches and breaks the arrow._

 

“Damn,” says Tommy, “I may not like that guy but that was impressive.”

 

_They fight, throwing punches and kicks at each other violently. They then tumble on ground before the man knocks the man in the mask down. He takes this opportunity to help Oliver up and they run out of the tent and escape._

 

_-_

 

_Oliver and the man enter the cave. He lays Oliver down on the side of the cave._

 

A collective sigh of relief can be heard throughout the room. They made it back.

 

_“I tell you. Island dangerous. But you not tell them where to find me. You stronger than I thought. Take it. I lead them off you stay,” the man says, surprised and holding out a bag. Oliver takes the bag._

 

“No don’t leave him alone!” Exclaims Laurel.

 

_“Remember. Everything breathe. You breathe you survive here longer,” the man says before he runs out of the cave._

_“I'm coming with you,” Oliver grits through the pains and he staggers to his feet only for the cave to be blocked by falling rocks._

 

“Oh no,” says Tommy.

“Yeah, that isn’t good,” adds Lance.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Because they are watching the flashbacks, I decided not to include Felicity, Dig, Roy or anyone else who didn't know Oliver pre-island. They wouldn't really add anything as they wouldn't know Oliver or be in any flashbacks.


End file.
